Introduction
Imagine you're browsing through your social media feed and you come across an ad that immediately evokes a feeling of excitement and anticipation. Or maybe you're standing in the cereal aisle at your local grocery store, trying to decide which brand to buy, and you realize that your choice is being influenced by the emotions evoked by different packaging designs.
Whether we realize it or not, emotions have a powerful impact on our behavior and decision-making, and this is especially true in the world of marketing. That's why it's crucial for marketers to have a solid understanding of how emotions work and how they can be leveraged to create effective marketing strategies.
One theory that has emerged in recent years is the constructed theory of emotion1, which challenges traditional views of how emotions are generated and experienced. In this article, we'll first take a look at the traditional view of emotions, then delve into the new theory, and finally explore its implications for marketing. Don't worry if you're not familiar with the theory yet - we'll break it down in simple terms so that you can see how it applies to real-world marketing scenarios. So, let's get started!
The traditional view of emotions
For many years, conventional theories of emotion have posited that emotions such as fear, sadness, and happiness are innate and universal experiences that are hard-wired into the human brain. Each emotion was thought to be associated with a specific part or circuit of the brain.
Under this model, certain stimuli (such as brand communications) were thought to activate neural circuits associated with specific basic emotions. This, in turn, would trigger a series of bodily responses (such as sweating or vasoconstriction), facial expressions, and movements.
It was believed that each of these reactions corresponded to a specific basic emotion. Therefore, detailed recordings of facial expressions, physiological responses, or brain activity could help identify the emotion currently being experienced.
However, this conventional model has been increasingly challenged in recent years. While some basic emotions such as happiness and sadness are expressed consistently across cultures, others may not be as universal as previously thought. Moreover, new research has shown that the brain circuits associated with specific emotions are not as clear-cut as once believed.
This has led to the emergence of a new theory in the field of emotion research called the constructed theory of emotion. In the next section, we'll explore this theory and how it differs from the conventional model of emotion.
Psychological construction theory: A new perspective on emotions
The conventional theory of emotions assumes that emotions are hard-wired into the brain and that each emotion is associated with a specific part or circuit of the brain. Psychological construction theory, however, challenges this view. According to this theory, our mind is not a reflection of the real world but rather a creation of the human brain. This means that what we experience, feel, and think is a constructed reality.
A famous optical illusion presented by Professor Edelson at MIT illustrates this point. In the illusion, tiles A and B appear to be different colors (as shown above), but they are actually the same brightness. If you remove everything except A and B, you can see that they are exactly the same, as shown below. In the original figure, it appears that the brain adjusted the brightness on its own, based on the light and shadows and prior knowledge of the checkerboard. This suggests that our perception is not a copy of the real world, but something “constructed” by the human side.
Applying the constructivist ideas to emotions, it means that emotions such as 'happiness' and 'anger' are not innate categories, but rather 'concepts' constructed through experience and learning. Emotions are created in the moment, based on the situation and the internal sensations of the body (called interoception), such as changes in heart rate or the state of various organs, which are associated with the concept of a particular emotion.
Therefore, emotions are not universal, and even if the same person experiences happiness, the brain and physiological activity involved would be different each time. This means that what one person experiences as happiness could be completely different from what another person experiences as happiness. As such, there is no universal basic emotional indicator that exists in the body or brain.
This new perspective has implications for marketing. The traditional approach of trying to create specific emotional responses in consumers may not be effective because different individuals construct emotions differently based on their own experiences and cultural backgrounds. In the next section, we will explore how marketers can leverage the constructed theory of emotions to create more effective marketing strategies.
Practical implications
While the constructivist view of emotions may seem theoretical, it has practical implications for marketing and advertising. If emotions are not innate and universal, but rather constructed by individuals based on context and interoceptive sensations, marketers need to provide the right context and stimuli to evoke the desired emotions in consumers.
One way to achieve this is to provide a clear context that helps consumers construct an emotion. For example, a protagonist chatting with a friend or family member, or a clear scene setting from the beginning, followed by an interaction with the product, can help create the desired emotional response.
Linking interoceptive changes to emotions is also crucial. By connecting changes in heart rate or other bodily sensations to the emotions being evoked, marketers can help consumers create more vivid and meaningful emotional experiences. With the increasing availability of technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality, there is also the potential to create even more immersive emotional experiences in the future.
It's important to note that the emotions being discussed here are primarily related to 'liking' rather than 'wanting,' as discussed in a previous blog post. By helping consumers create positive emotional experiences, brands can build long-term emotional connections with their customers.
In summary, the constructivist view of emotions has important implications for marketers and advertisers. By understanding how emotions are constructed and providing the right context and stimuli, brands can create more meaningful emotional experiences for their customers and build long-term emotional connections.
References
- Lisa Feldman Barrett (2017) How emotions are made: The secret life of the brain. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
